Yup... Torx head, easy access ( I think it&#39;s already solved on the straps on some of the later Aeros) and personally I&#39;ve never ever needed double screws on any of my Starboards as long as I was wble to tighten the existin screws properly.

B)

15th January 2007 03:22 AM

Arno13

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

Quote:

Jean-Marc

On the subject of using a screwdriver to change footstraps, a Philips/posidrive screw head is clearly inferior to both a Torx or an Allen screw head when force is needed to really tighten the footstraps on the deck. Simply said : I never ever stripped a Torx or Allen screw head.

Quite true now that you mention it.

Quote:

Jean-Marc
The biggest problem was that dirt, salt crystals and sand that could sneak into the insert&#39;s groove, thus making the bolts tightened once and for all. Forcing on the bolt&#39;s head usually destroyed either the foldable butterfly, stripped the grooves or broke the T shaped bolt&#39;s ends. Quick lock indeed but sometimes for an eternity...

The previously mentionned Geko was my first short board and being 23 at the time, I wasn&#39;t careful at all with my equipment (now experience & family-budget considerations have made me change !) and it never happened with me (the depressions getting dirty with a blocking result). But it&#39;s true that the small plastic device ("foldable butterfly") felt a little too light construction-wise.
Yet we had the instant tool-free capacity to adjust our gear to the conditions of the day. I wonder if it&#39;s no longer made because of the technology of the boards (thermoformed vs full sandwich) ?
Cheers

15th January 2007 12:51 AM

Jean-Marc

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

RE : footstraps change&#39;s poll.

1) No footstraps change : HS105 (all back & outboard*) and Acid 62 (front strap: front & inboard; back strap : back & inboard).
2) Footstraps change : Carve 111 and Kombat 86 : all front & inboard for waveriding; all back & outboard for B&J and blasting. I do change the footstraps during the day if it gets windy with waves or if the wind dies and water gets flatter and if I can&#39;t use either HS105 or Acid 62 (it&#39;s faster to switch board than to swap footstraps of course).

On the subject of using a screwdriver to change footstraps, a Philips/posidrive screw head is clearly inferior to both a Torx or an Allen screw head when force is needed to really tighten the footstraps on the deck. Simply said : I never ever stripped a Torx or Allen screw head. These kind of screw heads could be much more usefull on crossover boards such as S-Type, Carve or Kombat for those who truly enjoy crossing over discipline depending on the conditions, but as well as with beginner and intermediate boards such as Start, Rio, Starsurfer & co where changing footstraps can become a necessity to accomodate various members (kids, wife, husband, friends) of various skills at the beach.

Fanatic did have a quick lock foostraps system in the 90s : just turn a foldable butterfly bolt head by 1/2 turn to tighten the footstraps. The T shaped bolt&#39;s end enters into a groove inside the footstraps insert to tighten. The biggest problem was that dirt, salt crystals and sand that could sneak into the insert&#39;s groove, thus making the bolts tightened once and for all. Forcing on the bolt&#39;s head usually destroyed either the foldable butterfly, stripped the grooves or broke the T shaped bolt&#39;s ends. Quick lock indeed but sometimes for an eternity...

Double screws, i.e., 12 or 16 ? No thanks, 6 or 8 are enough to unscrew and rescrew each time for my taste.

Cheers !

JM

*HS105 : with race straps, I need to unscrew 4 screws to adjust between barefoot or booties (only in winter) snuginess.

14th January 2007 08:12 PM

Guest

RE: Foot Strap Quick Adjust Option

Hi, I remember I had an 2003 Fanatic E-ray 150 which has a Foot Strap Quick Adjust Option, It was some additional holes right near to the standard ones, so you have 2 options, use it with the standard screw or with the plastic pins supplied.
If Fanatic can make a board with metal holes and pins, we will have the perfect sulution for a quick footstraps adjusment.

I hope I can see a solution for this in the future,

Regards,

Rudolf

14th January 2007 10:08 AM

GEM

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

Hi Steve

I agree with you completely on this.

To the others who keep trying...

I agree with all the concerns.

Just because other manufacturers tried and failed doesn&#39;t mean it was a bad idea. They just didn&#39;t come up with sufficient technology.

I think it&#39;s a formidable task, because a solution probably does involve metal-on-metal threads, designed not to loosen, not to corrode, lightweight, and as steveC points out - double screws.

14th January 2007 12:14 AM

steveC

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

Hi Geoff.

Yes, you correctly interpreted my point about footstrap attachment. I&#39;m quite adamant about having the straps fixed in place so that any twisting can&#39;t take place. All my boards are configured this way. Also, I would like to emphasize that this attachment strategy really doesn&#39;t increase the board weight as long as the number of footstrap locations are kept to a reasonable minimum. By the way, this doesn&#39;t preclude having inboard and outboard options in the mix, as one of my boards is configured this way (between the two choices, I preferred the outboard one).

However, in fairness to other thought about this, in a similar thread a year or two back there was actually a person or two that actually liked the way single sided attachment allowed for the strap to twist position. It was stressed that the twisted positioning permitted better foot control over the board. Overall, I believe that this kind of preference is in the minority, especially in light of the many anti-twist components that have been developed and employed over the years.

13th January 2007 10:39 PM

mike

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

This is a great dicussion thread. I&#39;m the happy owner of a Kombat. In summer I&#39;ve set the straps outboard, in winter, inboard. In the last year, this has meet the majority of conditions for each season. There may be a bit of swtiching back & forth in "season transitions".

Is what limits my switching more often is concern of screw failure. I brought this up in the forum previously & was suggested use soap on the screws when switching. Nonetheless, I still try to limit the changes.

13th January 2007 05:01 PM

Guest

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

Fanatic and Bic both had "easier" footstrap anchors. Bic&#39;s corroded, they were miniture mast tracks. Fanatics were better, turnkey pins, but eventualy they broke, and were a bit rough to step on or jam into. It would have been nice to see improvements on these ideas, but we, as a sport, need a critical mass of $$ like we once had....

:~) have a good sail, and get some friends to join the addiction.

John I

13th January 2007 11:23 AM

GEM

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

I&#39;m not sure I understand steveC correctly, but as I re-read his posts I think that by "two attachments per side" he means two screws on each end of the footstrap. In other words, he doesn&#39;t like single-screw footstraps (correct me if I&#39;m wrong).

I concur.

In fact, on my Berky (now semi-retired), I bought plugs, drilled out the deck, and glassed in extra screw plugs so as to have two screws on each end of the footstrap. That is what it takes to be really secure. KevinP might need the lightness of single screws, but I will pay a small penalty in exchange for reliability.

I agree with steveC.

But give me easy adjustability first!!!!

13th January 2007 08:41 AM

steveC

RE: Changing footstrap settings for the day

Well Ian, I knew that many would support the concept of changing footstraps, as I have been in similar threads like this before. It&#39;s kind of like politics, where folks&#39; opinions align with their idea of what&#39;s right or appropriate. A lot of different factors affect feelings and opinions, and I guess that&#39;s to be expected. Also, I&#39;m sure that unforeseen changes can sometimes offer interesting outcomes, as you so aptly noted. Even though I hold to my earlier positions as identified above, it&#39;s good to hear others voice their thoughts and concerns. The one thing that appears more universal is that many folks wish that the footstrap change process was either quicker and/or more durable overall.

Surprisingly, not as much support for two position attachment per footstrap side. A very important issue in my mind, but I appear to be taking an unusual stance here. Today, a friend got out of the water, and I noted that footstraps on his S-Type 115 where skewed in tweaked ways that would have drove me nuts. I made no mention of the issue, but it&#39;s interesting that many folks are so accepting in nature. You know, a bit more mellow overall.

In any case, a good discussion point. I&#39;m glad that Geoff started things off.

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